We're Not Kids Anymore
by Queen Stark
Summary: It's four years since Mindy left, Dave is still putting on the mask and is finally proving himself to the world. When a new hero comes to the city who is able to get the job done just as fast, Dave can't help but sense a familiarity about her. After four years, there is a new threat - one that smells like Chris D'Amico but that's impossible - right?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_This is just the beginning _

"She's making a name for herself." Marty comments as he takes a sip of his black coffee. Dave and Marty sit across from each other in a diner. Marty turns from the television that plays rare footage of the new vigilante. It was almost like she was a ghost, she could move from place to place as if she was talking through walls. It was rare for her to be seen and get a good picture let alone a video of her in action.

Dave kept his eyes on the tv a moment longer, watching as the woman in the black suit slammed her fist into some asshole who'd been trying to attack a woman and child. The video cut out right before it looked like the woman was going to use her knife and harm (or kill) the man.

"Sure making my job easier." Dave finally said, turning to his friend. Marty had given up being Battle Guy a few months into his first semester of college. Unlike Dave, Marty had other plans for his life. He needed to focus on school and getting a careers instead of fighting crime. Dave understood; Marty wasn't into the whole superhero thing as much as Dave was.

Plus, Dave was training, he had built himself up. He was no longer the scrawny little boy he'd been when he first put on the mask. Since the start, he had gone through two Kick-Ass suits because he'd out-grown them.

"Have you run into her yet?" Marty asked, peaking at Dave over his glasses as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Not yet." Dave mutters with a shrug. "But it's a big city. Parts of me doesn't want to run into her. She doesn't look the friendliest."

Marty snorted. "That might be, but if the two of you teamed up, every asshole in the city would be pissing their pants." He paused, his voice turned down a few notches in volume. "Kick-Ass has come a long way."

Dave was proud of the fact he lived up to the name now, and that his friends and the news agreed. He watched his first video on YouTube a few weeks ago and couldn't help but laugh at himself. That fifteen year old kid was a lucky bastard. Those asshole could have beaten the shit out of him until he was dead and most likely get away with it.

The two sat in silence for a long moment as Dave finished off his sugar and cream coffee. He never understood how Marty was able to drink the shit black. There was no real taste to it unless you counted the aftertaste that always left Dave begging for a toothbrush.

"You're coming to Todd's engagement party tonight right?" Marty asked, taking a look at his watch before slipping on his jacket. Dave nods. "Who would have that, out of the three of us, that bastard would be the first to get married."

This caused the two of them to laugh. Dave still saw the kid in the yellow, shitty-wannabe-kick-ass suit calling himself Ass-Kicker. He stopped with the whole superhero thing a few weeks after the brawl with Chris D;Amico. It was that whole thing that opened Todd's eyes. He could have died and there was nothing he had to show for this eighteen years. After that, his grades improved, he went to college and found Amanda. Someone just as dorky as him. Both Dave and Marty got along with her well. (Marty still surprised as all hell Todd was able to land a girl like that. Dave wasn't as surprised.)

Dave stood up as Marty did, slipping on his own jacket before pulling out his wallet and throwing a few dollars onto the table.

They walked out together before they had to part outside the door to go separate directions. "Oh! By the way, don't pull any '_work' _bullshit tonight. You said you were coming and you can't back out now. I'll come and drag you by your hair if you don't show. I am not dealing with Todd's work friends by myself."

"I said I'd go, asshole. Don't worry, I'll be there."

They finally headed to where they need to be, both chuckling as they go.

Dave wouldn't know what he'd be able to do if he didn't have Marty and Todd. The three of them had been friends since they were seven and he wouldn't have it any other way.

After the superheroes vs. supervillains brawl was over, Dave had to come to terms with the fact he was alone. With his father dead, Dave had to finish high school with a cloud over his head. Things were manageable, being Kick-Ass kept him out of his deepest level of depression he wanted to sink to. But, as graduation came closer, he started to submerge, he felt his knees wanting to buckle and make the trip to the bottom quicker. His father wasn't going to be in the audience slapping his massive hands together cheering for Dave. His father wouldn't be there when the graduation was over to give Dave a hug and tell him how proud he was of his son.

This is why he was lucky to have Todd and Marty.

Even though the school hated when other students cheered for one another, the moment Dave's name was called and his diploma was in his hand, his two best friends stood up and cheered louder than most parents. He couldn't help but be thankful for them.

They stuck with him with his whole hero thing. They never called it childish or that he needed to grow up and focus on a career. They supported him despite the fact they no longer joined him on the battlefield.

Once he was back in the pathetic thing he called an apartment, Dave walked into his room to grab his suit. He was able to take today off from the job he was forcing himself to have. After college he got a job as a Tech Support Representative because he wouldn't be able to live off his dad's will forever and Kick-Ass wasn't a career that offered a large amount of income. He worked four days a week on his own schedule since the lines were supposed to be open to customers 24/7.

It was a horrible job. Dave hated ever minute he was forced to talk to some jerk who was too stupid to even test turning the computer off than back on again.

As he was removing his shirt, his laptop beeped. He sighed, hoping it wasn't his boss telling him they needed him to get on the phone for a few hours. Luckily, it was just Todd on Skype, being a pain in the ass. (But he had good reason too.)

_Todd: Talked to Marty. Your word is written in stone. You better be fucking dead or gravely injured if you miss tonight._

Dace chuckled and pressed his fingers against the keys to type a quick reply.

_Dave: I give you permission to kill me if I miss. But I WON'T__be missing this. _

_Todd: Good. Because I'm holding you too that._

Dave exited out of Skype, but wished he hadn't as soon as the window closed. It had been a while since he'd seen his computer background. Most of the time he had Facebook, Skype, or work related things covering it. Now, he stared at the picture he had decided to use and felt a slight pang in his heart.

It was a picture from four years ago of him and a girl he used to call his friend; Mindy. She was being her normal self, making fun of the idea of a Selfie and then insisted they take one. The two of them stared at the camera, making a ridiculous face, hot chocolate in their hands. Dave remembered once the picture was taken, Mindy had snatched the phone from him and studied it.

"That was kind of fun. I see why people get addicted." She then said, holding up his phone again to take another one without him. "But only when you look like a total fucking idiot. You get these dumb girls who just like to make a blow-job face to send to guys."

She took another one, this time actually smiling like she was taking a picture for school accept this one had her middle finger involved.

"Give me that!" Dave snatched the phone from her and clicked off the camera. "You really think I want a shit-tone of pictures of you?"

"Uh—Yes! Why wouldn't you?" She rolled her eyes.

"Hate to break it too you, Mindy, but I'd rather my camera to stay intact." A laugh passed through his lips before he even finished speaking. Mindy shoved him – hard, nearing making him spill his hot chocolate.

"Asshole." But she said this with a laugh.

All of this happened before she gave up being Hit-Girl, her superhero alter ego. A ten times better hero than Dave could ever hope to be. And then she left after the brawl and Dave hadn't heard a word from her since she kissed him and rod off on her motorcycle.

A sigh passed through Dave's lips as he closed the computer and tried to shake Mindy from his mind. She was gone – not coming back.

After seeing that picture, and thinking about Mindy after it had been such a long time, Dave felt a weight cover his shoulders. A few weeks after she left, he had been waiting for her to contact him, email him or call him under a different name. (After all, the cops were on a man-hunt for her) But he got nothing. He even searched the internet to see if there was anything about Hit-Girl – again nothing.

After six months, he knew she was leaving Mindy McCready behind in New York. And yes, that even meant Hit-Girl.

As Dave walked around in his Kick-Ass suit, his mind was still on Mindy. Wondering where she was, if she was okay or – dead. But he quickly pushed that thought from his mind.

A scream that came from a few blocks way pulled him out of his thoughts and he was sprinting down the street without a second thought. The scream came again, and he turned down the alley and stopped dead in his tracks.

Standing before him as someone dressed in a ridiculous costume and by their feet, a middle-aged woman with a slit throat. The man was a semi-build, the costume hugging his arms enough to show off the bit of muscles he had. The mast covered his eyes and nose and everything below was painted red. There was a knife in his hand that shinned in the sun, the blood glowing, bringing a slight curl to Dave's stomach.

The stranger offered a cruel smirk as their eyes met. "Kick-Ass." He said before charging full-force at Dave. Before Dave had much time to react, he was on the ground.

Luckily, before the stranger could shove the knife in Dave's throat, a nightstick was slamming into the guy's head. The man stopped for a second, giving Dave just enough time to throw him off and hit him again with his nightstick. The blow landed smack in the middle of the strangers face. Blood spilled from his nose, but it was hard to tell due to the red pain. But this didn't stop the man from struggling to his feet and charging again, this time the knife in front of him.

Dave moved out of the way, twisting so a third strike hit the man, this time slamming into his back. Dave swung again, lower, aiming for the knees. The man fell, breathing heavily as Dave turned him over so he was on his back.

"Who the fuck are you?"

He hadn't seen a costume as ridiculous as this man's since The Motherfucker's. But Chris was dead, eaten alive by his own shark.

The stranger only laughed, his hand reaching up and smearing the blood all over his face. Dave them picked him up and shoved him against the brick wall. "Answer the question!"

"You sure are as stupid as everyone said." Anger was rising inside the man in green, ready to slam his nightstick against the other man's skull for a third time. "_What_ the fuck do I look like?"

"You look like some jackass in a cheap costume. You really want to end up like The Motherfucker? I will _gladly_ find a shark tank and give you the same fate!" As the man just continued laughing, even trying to laugh through the cough that interpreted, Dave let his rage get the best of him. He moved a few steps away from the wall, dragging the asshole with him before he lunged forward, slamming the man's skull again the wall.

Instantly he went limp in Dave's grip.

"Fuck." The man _might_ be dead, and as much as Dave hated when things ended up with the other dead, he let the body drop and sighed.

Seeing another person in a suit, something that clearly spelled out **villain **left a horrible taste in Dave's mouth. After the brawl, almost everyone in a costume, hero and villains alike, hung up the costume and went on with their regular lives. Dave hadn't seen another jerk in a suit like that since.

Throughout the rest of the day, Dave was thinking about the possibility of Chris being alive, but Dave had seen the blood, seen the shark eat Chris. But Dave was sure Chris was the only asshole who would, again, create a group of villains to get back at Kick-Ass.

Dave got ready for Todd's engagement party blindly, shrugging on a nice outfit and heading out with a bruise on his face and an aching back from the fall.

Things didn't get much better, even when both Todd and Marty greeted him, clearly surprised he was able to make it He wanted to tell them what happened, but this was Todd's night, and he was not ruining such a happy event that everyone deserved.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Asshole. You have three seconds before I cut off one of your dirty fingers." The woman dressed in black stared down the man through her violet mask. His eyes stared back in utter fear. A knife was at his throat, and he trembled as he searched for words. "Are the rumors true?"<p>

More trembling – no words.

"One." She kept the knife on his throat but moved to grab a contraption that would easily snip off his finger. "Two." She finally removed the knife so she could grab his left hand and put his finger through the contraption. He did nothing but stare at her, almost crying. "Three!"

There was a second she waited, but he said nothing and she squeezed the trigger.

His finger came off and a deafening scream pieced the hair as he tried to grab the hand quickly covering with blood, but she helped him in place.

"Are you going to speak now? Or are you going to wait until all you have left is your fucking pinky-finger?" He nodded, tears actually running down his face now.

"I'll – I'll talk!"

"Then talk!"

He gulped, his eyes staring at his hand trying to keep himself from just screaming out at the pain he was obviously going through. "Yes! – _Fuck!_ – I just know that the rumors are true. I've seen him with my own eyes."

The woman leaned into his face, studying his eyes to see if he was lying, but if he was that stupid then this whole thing was pointless and she might as well waste him now.

"_Please!_ That's all I know. I – I swear."

She backed away from him, eyes narrowing. "You better be, because if I find out you're lying." A cruel laugh passed her lips. "You're going to wish you were dead before I'm done with you."

* * *

><p><span><strong>Authors note:<strong> Alright, I hope you like the first chapter. I have a lot of motivation to write this story so pleaae review if you'd like me to continue! 3


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Now the beginning is for-sure going to be a little show. Set-up is always a bit of a pain but needed for a good story right? So please keep reading the next few chapters even if they feel a little show. Trust me, I have a plan for this story and once things get into motion, it will be worth it.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Dave sat on the couch, watching as everyone else conversed and congratulated Todd and Amanda. After Dave had offered his gift and his own smile telling them how happy he was for them, Dave grabbed a beer and took his seat on the couch. He wanted to leave but only stepping into the house for about an hour was almost like not coming at all. Dave talked to people whenever they offered conversation, but he didn't go out of his way to speak.

His mind was too busy, trying to wrap itself around the idea of Chris D'Amico being alive and reforming another stupid villain gang. There was a small, very small, possibility it was another jackass in a suit trying to rebuild a villain gang. But, the more Dave thought about the possibility the more he could not see that being the case. Chris was the only dork stupid enough to success. It didn't hurt that he was rich enough to pay off anyone.

"Dave, it's your turn to vote on a date these two should tie the knot." Dave looked to see Marty grinning from ear to ear holding a notebook. "You know – as I like to say – ruin their lives." He added with a wink.

"What?" Dave stared at the notebook, not registering what he was seeing as a moment passed.

"You know, Todd and Amanda want to see what day out of the three works best for everyone. You haven't picked."

"Oh – right." Dave took the pen and notebook and checked one of the dates. He didn't pay much attention to which date because, to him, it didn't really matter. Marty took the notebook back, but paused before moving on, giving Dave a questionable look.

The party continued, and Dave sat there, sipping his beer, only getting up to replace it for another one once it was empty.

Mindy, Chris – why did it feel like people from his past were coming after him, trying to attack his mind and distract him. Was he going to be visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past at one point? Was that why he was reverting back to the past with someone he desperately wanted to see again and someone he assumed was dead?

Dave shook his head, feeling a slight buzz in his head as he sipped his third beer. "I need to go." He muttered to no one before standing up, setting his beer down, and walked right out the door. The slight chill in the air was a nice reprieve from the stiff air that had been circling around Todd's living room. Ignoring the tipsy buzz in his head, Dave headed down the street to walk home.

What he needed was a good night's sleep and an empty notebook to write down everything he thought was happening. It hadn't been 24 hours since he ran into the man in the suit, and Dave was waiting for another attack or an email or _something_.

Dave was only a few blocks from his apartment was he was suddenly staring into the dark, violet mask of the very superhero who had been all over the news. They were calling her **Black Violet.** There was a small smirk playing on her lips as she stood in front of Dave, one arm behind her back, the other on her hip, and her head cocked to the right a bit.

"What happened, Kick-Ass? Someone run over your puppy?" Dave's eyes narrowed at her. Any interest in talking about more superhero stuff tonight vanished with his third beer. Now, his head was buzzing and would soon would be replaced by a headache he'd have to suffer through all night. This is why he didn't like to drink, it only left him feeling like shit.

"Good to know you know who I am when I have no idea who you are." Each word left his lips sharply. But Black Violet did not seemed phased by it.

"What is it that they're calling me? Black Violet? Well – I guess that's who I am." She smirked even wider, making Dave wanting to shove her out of the way and get to his apartment. The only thing keeping him from doing so was what he'd seen her do to criminals in pictures. None of the criminals looked as if they were enjoying the position she was putting them in. Dave would like his body to remain untwisted.

His eyes rolled nonetheless.

"Can this wait? It's like fucking midnight and I need to sleep before I kill someone – again."

"Jesus Christ – You—" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "This will only take a second." There was a pause as she pulled out a file from behind her back that Dave never would have noticed. "You really should look more on the internet for bullshit like this. I know your story – do you really want to get bombarded with internet freaks – _again?_"

Dave took the papers and opened it, only to feel Deja vu set in as he stared at a webpage dedicated to a new super villain gang. There were pictures and a few small articles mixed in the stack. "So – is my life just going through an endless repeating loop? Chris D'Amico isn't dead then?" Black Violet shook her head no. "Fuck."

Once again, he scanned the paper – his eyes resting on the picture of Chris. Even though he'd suffered an _almost_ fatal shark attack, he looked better than he ever did. Not only did he fill out and work on his build like Dave, but in the few pictures also printed out – it looked like he finally knew what he was doing. This was not the same little dweeb Dave faced a few years back.

"Actually, it's a lot different. This is like the Sinister Six. About nine of the best assholes around. They call themselves the _Motherfucking Nine._" Her eyes rolled before she stepped forward, pointing to the picture of all nine of them. "You killed him today. Sadly this is also like a motherfucking Mortal Kombat game; he's making you make your way up the ladder. That cocksucker was for sure the weakest one."

_Great!_ This is just what Dave needed, to be in a horrible video game crossover with a horrible comic book.

"This is fucking insane." There was a pause as his eyes met hers. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because, this vendetta Chris has against you is going to backlash on the whole city.—Hell it already has! - And, this is _my_ city too. I'm not going to see it fall because some idiot in a suit is _still_ trying to take you down." She paused, her lips pressing together. "He's actually being smart about this. For one, not spreading the word like the plague, it's a tight group and he's trying to get to you. Do not expect him to come marching down your street ready to blow you away. He's going to throw these assholes at you tactically – believe it or not. I'm sure he has a plan and it's not some nineteen year old comic book nerd's wet dream."

A snicker almost passed Dave's lips. Chris being smart and tactical? He couldn't see it, but he wasn't going to question her information.

All he did was nod.

Black Violet turned to walk away, but hesitated a moment. "Be careful, Kick-Ass. This isn't a game – it hasn't been for a long time. Just watch your back because Chris will play dirty and the last thing New York needs is their biggest hero with a knife in his back."

And then she was running down the street.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Dave was up at seven searching the internet for any news of this villain gang that Black Violet said was legit.<p>

The Motherfucking Nine was all over the internet making a name for themselves. It wasn't just messy murders and robbing small convenient stores for the hell of it, they were actually causing massive issues around the city. The news was keeping their noses out of it to keep panic low, but local blogs were spewing nothing but updates on the group.

Dave had barley gotten into all the shit they did, attacking women with children, attacking children walking home from school, killing animals and displaying their bodies in school yards, before he slammed his laptop shut. Some of it was amateur, but it got the message across.

If he knew where Chris was, Dave would walk right up to the asshole and tell him they were going to end this right there. One-on-One. No weapons, no help from anyone else, just fight until someone was fucking dead.

This was unacceptable, not only was Chris still throwing a tantrum all over New York City, he was still too pussy enough to come and face Dave. (Chris had built himself up for obvious reasons, why didn't he just shove it in Dave's face and fight him?)

The worst part about all of this was, Dave had felt _horrible_ about Chris's death. Even though he tried his best to save him, Chris still fell into the shark tank. (Even if the idiot wanted his death to be _mighty_). Now, Dave actually wanted him dead because it seemed to be the only way to stop him. Dave had more blood on his hands than he wished, but that was the cost of the job.

He needed to find Black Violet again. There was no way he would be able to track them down by himself. He'd fight Chris one-on-one, there was no doubt about it. But getting to that battle was where he needed to start and he figured she was his best bet at finding the Motherfucking Nine.

* * *

><p>Before she approached him, she had planned an alter ego. A very different superhero than he had known. But as she met his blue eyes, she couldn't conjure up the other personality she had practiced just for him. If Dave really thought about it, he would easily be able to figure out who Black Violet really was. Although she was doing her best to hide it, if she kept acting as she did when he knew her in her past life, he would put two-and-two together and find the right result.<p>

A hand ran though her blonde hair, pulling her bangs off of her face. Her green eyes scanned over all the information she had gathered. Chris was the reason she returned. As much as Dave had improved, bringing Kick-Ass to a whole new level, she knew he was not capable of handling this on his own.

She had a small plan, but part of her felt like it would not end as she had originally thought.

If life was perfect, she would help him out and he'd never know who she was. But seeing him, half drunk, his hair finally cut to a reasonable length where curls didn't spring from his head, making him look like a man instead of a boy, she couldn't help but want to put on her old costume and reunite their duo.

But, that hero was dead.

Black Violet stared into the mirror, green eyes not liking what she saw. Her face had grown old, her eyes no longer a bright green but a dull, almost grey shade of green. Black Violet can't remember the last time she laughed. Not a pathetic laugh, but one that shook your whole body and left you breathless.

She wanted to see who she used to be; her old self, the tough, beautiful blonde girl she used to be.

She wanted to be her old self, not hiding behind the mask but embracing it.

But Mindy McCready was dead, and there was no way to revive her.


End file.
